Index device



Oct. 2, 1923.

J. H. RAND INDEX DEVICE FileqqFeb. 13. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 2,1923. 1,469,534

J. H. RAND INDEX DEVICE v Filed Feb. 15. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ;1 *H

fwfmm v hwaw ferent holders to the front of the device.

Patented Oct. 2, 1923. V

um'r

, JAMES a. new), or nearer ToNAwnivnA, NE ORK: I

INDEX rinvrcn Application filed February 13,1922. se i Ira-535,996?

- To. all; whom may concern:

Be it; known that I, JAMnswH. RAND,

citizen. of. the United States of America, and,

resident, of North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in 7 Index Devices, of which the following is a specification. Y I

r This invention relates to index devices of the type having swinging index supportsfor A displaying the classified. subject-matter of the indices and more particularly to the type in: which the'index supports aremounted to swing horizontally upon an upright frame which .is capable of turning to present dif- The principal objects ofthe invention are toprovide a device of the character referred to.- which is more compact andfwhich can therefore" he used with similar" devices in "closer spaced relationship, which permits the index holders toswing into closer overlappingrelatlonship in either direction from positions normal to. the frame, which sup-- ports the index holders in such manner that a greater number of the index holders pre sent their index margins tothe view of the operator in certain positionsof the frame, in which the index holders swing by gravity into close overlapping relationship in either the: normal 'or the operative positions of the frame or in each of these positions, in which the holders are retained by gravity in over lapping relationship in either direction: from positions normal to the frame in the opera I tive, position or positions of the frame, and

hythe concrete embodimentshown in the.

accompanying drawings, in which,

1 is a front elevation of the device in IIOPmaI POSltiOIl; Fig. 21s agfront tions ig, 3' is a. vertical central section on -3- 3'of Fig. 1; V

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line oil-Fig. 3'; and Fig. 5 is a development-of the track upon which the frameturns.

'5 The particular embodiment of the inven- 'posite sides of the frame.

View with the frame turned 90 into one operative position and the index holders swung 1n oppos te: d1rec-- ion chosen for thepur f ill g gfmn comprises a basenB,. a framefF rotatably mo mted to turnon the base, and a plurality of ndex holders. mountedin rows on op posite sides of the frame.

As" shown -.1I1-

Fig. .4: the frame isrectangular in horizontel out-lineand the holders H are pivoted, on the frame-to swing about axes which are arranged. in parallelism and in rows al0ng; p,' The holders may be of any suitable construction and they maybe pivoted on the frame in various ways, but as shown -1 n thed-rawings the holders are providedwithvertical rods 1' projecting from the tops and bottoms of the holders respectively into, openings 3' in the overhanging top and bottom portions of the frame F. Y While theconstru'ction of the'fra-me F is not ofthe essence of the present invention I have shown one' preferredconstruction in detail, this. construction comprising a. pair of angle bars 21 disposed'baclr toback and welded together at the top and bottom, an-- other pair of similar angle ba-rs 22 similarly arranged at the front of the frame, achan nel member 23 welded to theforwardedges fth'eanglebars 22, a similar channel'memher 2 lweldedto the rearward edges'of the angle bars 21,- a top :cap 25 welded to -th ef upper ends ofthe parts 21 to 24 and havingits-margin turned "downwardly and inwardly overthe upper ends; of these parts,

ofthe partsQIto 24 and having its mar-* gin turned downwardly, and a tie p ece connecting the parts 21 andi'22together-near the upper end of thef'ralme; Stops: 27. and 2,8.mayibe. mounted on the front. and rearmembers 23' and 24, as shown in Figs. .3 and l to .limi-tthe' swing of the end holders 4 Thefraine F is mounted on the baseiB by means of a central rod 4' anchored. in; the:

base. and extending upwardly throughthe tie bar 5 bridging the space between the front-and'i'ear angle bars. 21*and 241 f the.

frame,- a nut 8 heing threaded on the upper end of the rod 4 .toretain the framefonv the Fast tothe baseB around; the rod. 45- is ak irculartrackf),and fast tothe bottom;

base."

of: the frame F is a bracket carrying. rollers; I

lOriding on'the track In one aspect of thexpresent invention tho tracki=9 is provided" with depressions-insu'ch pzositionrthat'the rollers 10-restthere1nwhenthe-frame is in the-normal position shown in Figs. 1, andd, thereby to retain the frame inthis position by gravity. The preferred shape of the track is shown in development' in F ig. 5, where 11' and 12 indicate the aforesaid depressions. By making these depressions gradually sloping. the

frame ,is returned to normal position by gravity when partially turned'in either direction from the normal position. By pro- Viding. substantially flat portions at 12 and 13 intermediate the :depressions 1'1 .and 12 the frame will remain stationary when turned 90f in either (direction: from the nor- .mal position:

:A. cardinal Ieature of the present invention comprises means for tilting the axes of the index holders H longitudinally of the side ofthe frame to which they are pivoted, that is,.to the irearin the embodiment illustrated-, so that the holders will swing b y' gravity into overlapping relationship, as shown in Figs. 1 and f when the frame is in normal position, and to tilt the axes transversely of their common plane when the frame is turned to operative position so that the holders will be retained in overlapping relationship when swung to either side as shown in Fig. 2. As illustrated in thedraw- .ingsthc'means for accomplishingthis tiltlng consists in'means for tilting the axis of the frame F: to the rear, this axis'being tilted for example by inclining the base B i downwardly from front to rear by means of a foot 14 at the front of the base (Fig. 3); In operation the device is swung from the normalposition shown in Figs. 1, 8 and 4: to the rig'htor left approximately 90 topre sent the index holders on oneiside of the device to the front; After the frame has been so turned the index holders. may be turned to the right or left to display the particular data'sought, the index tabs l5zser-ving to 1i mat-ion station portions '12 and 18 of thetrack 9. so. turnedall of the-index holders on the.

' row inaclose juxtaposition.

foundi indicate tlie particular holder upon which any name or other information is to be 'ulVhen. using. lists of names, as for example at an info-rin a telephone exchange, the names to be foundat the right and left of the device respectively may be indicated by letters on the front of the frame as indicated in Fig. 1. If these letters indicate that the name is on..the left-hand side the frame is turned to the right by means of the handle- 16- approximately 90 and remains in this.

position without. being held by virtue of the rollers lOresting upon the substantially flat lefthandsidewill be presented to, the front of the device in overlapping relationship with-the ind-ex tabs-'15 lying in .a straight These tabs ordinarily .carry initials to indicate the names to be "found on each holder and with thethe device for alphabetical When frame the holders are retained in this posi.

tion by gravity.- When the frame isiturned back to the normal position theholders au-t tomatically swing to-the rear byigravity and the device is thus made very conipact'xtran's l' versely so that a number of devices may be used in a row in closely spaced relationship, thespacing between Figs. 1 and 2 indicating approximately the distance which the devices would ordinarily be spacedapart} 1 The pivot openings 3 for the holders may be spaced from the centerof the device the same distance at the top and bottom or they maybe spaced farther from'the center atthe bottom than at the top thus tilting the axes T inwardly .at the top. With theaxes tilted. inwardly the holders will remain in-o-verlapping-relationship in either the normalor the operative position of the frame whether or not the axis of the frame is tilted'rearwardly, but with the frame axis tilted -rearwardly and the holder axes tilted inwardly the rearward tilt andthe inward tilt mutually contribute to'inaintain the holders inoverlapping relationship. I Iclaim:

1; An index device comprisingranupright frame, means on the frame for supporting. a plurality of index holders. to swing about.

approximately vertical axes spaced along one side of the frame, andmeans for tilting the axes longitudinally of said side, so that the holders automatically swingin, the same di: rection into overlapping relationship zbyj gravity. 2. An index device comprising an upright frame, means for supporting :a pluralityjofindexholders along one side of the frametol swing horizontally: into overlapping. rela tionship. in either direction relativetoposi-Ij tions normal to said side, and'means for .tilt ing. the axes either longitudinally ,of said. side to retain the holdersin overlapping re lation'ship in onedirectimi or transversely of said side to retain the holders in.overlap.- 7

ping relationship in both directions. 3. An index-device comprising a frame,

meanson the frame for supporting a plurals ity of index holders to swing into overlap; ping relationship. about approximately vertical axes arranged in a row along the frame; means for turning the. frame to present the holders either to the side or to -th1e;front' of;; the device, and meansfor tilting said axes rearwardly when the holders are'ipre'sented;

to .the .side so that theholders swing rear-- I wardly by said row, meansf forturning theframe to present the holders either to the side or to the front of the device, and means for tilting said axes rearwardly when theframe is in position to present the holders to the front thereby to retain the holders in overlapping relationship in either direction to which they are swung. v

5. An indexdevice comprising a frame, means on the frame for supporting-a plurality of index holders to swing, about approximately vertical axes arranged in a row along the frame, into overlapping relationship in either direction from positions normal to said row, means'for turning the frame to present the holders either to the side or to the front of the device, and means for tilting said axes rearwardly when the frame is either in position to present the holders to the side or in position to present the holders to the front, whereby the holders gravitationally swing to the rear when presented to the side and to either side when resented to the front. v

6. An index device comprising a frame, means on the frame for supporting a plurality of index holders to swing, about approximately vertical axes arranged in rows along opposite sides of the frame respectively, into overlapping relationship in either direction from positions normal to said rows respectively, means for turning the frame to present the holders on either side of the frame to the front ofthe device, and means for tilting said axes rearwardly when the frame is turned as aforesaid thereby to retain the holders which are presented to the front in overlapping relationship in either direction to which they are swung.

7. An index device comprisinga frame, means on the frame for supporting a plurality of index holders to swing, about approximately vertical axes arranged in rows along opposite sides of the frame respectively, into overlapping relationship in either direction from positions normal to said rows respectively, means for turning the frame to present the holders on either side of the frame to the front of the device, and means for tilting said axes rearwardly when the frame is either in normal position or turned as aforesaid, whereby the holders on each side of the frame gravitationally swing to the rear when the frame is in normal position and to either side when presented to the front.

8. An index device comprising frame, means on the frame for supporting a plugravity into overlapping relation to the front the latter swing rality of index holders to swing, about sip proximatelyvertical axes arranged in ap proximately straight rows along opposite,

sides of the frame respectively, into-over'- lapping relationship in either direction from positions normal to said rows re'spectively, means :for turning the frame from normal. position to Presentthe 1 holders on either side of the frame to the front of the f device, and means for automatically returning the frame to normal position when the frame is only partially turned from normal position,

5 9. An index device comprising a frame,

means on the frame for supporting a plurality of index holders to swing, about ap proximately vertical axes arranged in rows along opposite sides of the frame respec-v tively,

either direction from positions normal to said rows respectively, and a circular track into overlap-ping relationship upon which said frame is mounted to turn to present the holders on either side of the frame to the front of the device, said track being arranged to tilt said axes rearwardly in both the, normal and the front positions of said holders whereby the holders gravitationally swing to the rear when normally disposed and to either side when presented to the front. a p

10.An index device comprising a frame, means on the frame for supportin a phi-- rality of indexholders to swing, about approximately vertical axes arranged in rows along opposite sides of the frame respectively,

into overlapping relationship in eitherdirection from positions normal tof said rows respectively, a'circular track, roll ers on the frame riding on said track, whereby the frame may be turned from normal position to present the holders von either sideof the frame'to the front of the device,

said track having depressions positioned to hold the frame in normal position by gravity. l r a r V 11. An index device comprising a frame,

means onthe frame for supporting a p1u-' rality of index holders, to swing, about apa proximately vertical axes arranged in rows along opposite sides of the frame respectively, into overlapping relationship in either direction from positions normal to said rows respectively, a base, means for supporting said frame on said base to rotate about an axis tilted rearwardly from the vertical, whereby when the frame is in normalposition said holders swing rearwardly by gravity and when the frame is rotated to present the holders on one side to either side by gravity. 7

12. An index device comprising a frame,

rality of index holders to swing, about ap- -means on theframefor supporting a plu-' along opposite sides of the frame respec- .tively, into overlapping relationship in downwardly toward the rear, vhereb-y when the frame is in no-rmal positio-n said holders 10 swing rearwardly by gravity and When'the frame is rotated to present t-heholderson one side to the front the latter: swingto either side by gravity.

. Signed by me at North N. Y. this eighth day of February 1922. I

JAMES. H. RAND.

Tonawanda, I la 

